Power tools are commonly used by professional carpenters, as well as by hobbyists. Carpentry projects require precision when making cuts, particularly with the alignment of the cut. These precise cuts typically require an operator to draw a line on the surface of the material prior to making a cut. This method has inherent disadvantages, as the line may not be straight, or may be difficult to perceive.
Various alignment devices have been used to provide a line of cut indication for a variety of carpentry tools. For instance, a fence may be employed to position a workpiece so that a kerf or channel may be formed in a desired location within the workpiece. However, use of the fence is limited by the requirement of continual fence re-alignment to accommodate different workpieces and positions as well as the ability to adjust the fence smoothly or accurately. In addition, a tool which slides into a slot formed within a power tool such as a table saw, router table, band saw, and the like is often utilized to make square or angled cuts. For example, a miter gauge which may be adjusted to different angles may be employed to guide a workpiece past the saw blade. However, in order determine the site at which the saw blade will enter the workpiece, a user is often required to perform a number of test cuts prior to arriving at the proper setting of the miter gauge. The requirement of multiple test cuts is not only tedious, but filled with imprecision.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system which is capable of attachment to a workbench or other surface which projects a line-of-cut indication onto a workpiece surface area eliminating the need for multiple test cuts, continuous fence re-alignment, and workpiece mark-up.